


In another universe

by Mademoisellesnowflake



Series: In Another, Happier Universe [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Arthur is sensible for once, Fix-It, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I almost forgot Leon, In which the author ships Lance and Merlin but does not know what way, Lancelot Lives, Merlin is heavily in denial and decides to do stupid things, Percival is a quiet and good friend, Percival is important, Well he dies but later he lives, idk if Kilgarrah is counted in the characters, which is normal tbh it's Merlin we're talking about
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 11:19:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12188991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mademoisellesnowflake/pseuds/Mademoisellesnowflake
Summary: There was a world where only Lancelot’s soul and not his body was swallowed by the veil...Merlin decides he wants to bring Lancelot back. No one complains.





	In another universe

**Author's Note:**

> I watched Lancelot's death scene and decided I wanted a fix-it fic so I wrote one. It's my first Merlin fic and I hope you people will like it!

There was a world where only Lancelot’s soul and not his body was swallowed by the veil. In that world, when the tear was closed, Merlin could see Lancelot’s lifeless body on the ground, lying in an unnatural angle, looking so very small. For a moment, Merlin was sure Lancelot would bounce up, grinning and asking Merlin if Merlin had been scared. (Of course he’d been scared – seeing Lancelot walk to the veil had almost stopped his heart.) However, when Lancelot wouldn’t move, Merlin ran to him, pressing his fingers on Lancelot’s throat in a desperate attempt to find a pulse, to feel him breathing – anything, really.

As there was no pulse, Merlin felt his hopes shattering. Lancelot was dead, gone, sluggishly getting colder in Merlin’s arms. Merlin was cradling Lancelot’s head on his lap, looking at the face of his first true friend. The face was slowly getting blurred as tears filled Merlin’s eyes.

“Don’t leave”, Merlin whispered as tears began falling on Lancelot’s face. Merlin took a shuddering breath and cast a spell. And another. And another. He was casting every spell he could possibly think of that could wake Lancelot, to bring him back.

None of them worked. Not one spell. Nothing. Lancelot was gone, truly gone, and all Merlin could do was to cradle his head on his lap and sob brokenly.

He was still whispering enchantments as he heard footsteps approaching. He turned to look in time to see Percival running up the stairs, and by his expression, Merlin knew he had seen Merlin’s eyes glow golden. Merlin clutched Lancelot’s torso as Percival ran to the two of them, kneeling down and desperately looking for a pulse.

“Is he…?” Percival whispered softly. “Is he gone?”

Merlin nodded as another sob tore through him. Percival placed a hand on Merlin’s shoulder and asked, “The others?”

“Out cold”, Merlin whispered hoarsely, “but alive.”

Percival turned to look back to see Leon waking Arthur up and Elyan shaking Gwaine’s shoulders. The two previously unconscious men groaned and stood up. Arthur was the first to recover enough to stagger to Merlin’s side and kneel down to search for a pulse from Lancelot’s throat.

“He’s gone, sire”, Percival whispered softly as Merlin whimpered, clutching Lancelot’s tunic. Arthur looked at the fallen knight blankly, trying to understand what had happened.

“It was my duty”, Arthur said. “It was supposed to be my duty, you noble fool.”

As if waiting for Lancelot to wake and argue, Arthur tilted his head and looked at the body. His hand hovered over Lancelot’s unmoving face, probably looking for breath.

“We have to get him back to Camelot”, Arthur said mechanically. “Percival, can you carry him to the boat?”

“Yes, sire”, Percival said. He moved to lift Lancelot’s lifeless body but Merlin clutched his arm, desperately not wanting to let him go just yet.

“Merlin, we have to go”, Arthur huffed. “We’ll find a cart and you can ride with him as soon as we reach land.”

Merlin nodded and let go of Lancelot’s arm. He let Gwaine lead him to the boat that would take them away from the isle. He couldn’t remember much from the journey back to the land, only the soft words of the other knights saying how it looked like Lancelot was only sleeping. He could also remember the slightly thick voice of Gwaine berating Lancelot for his stupid decision.

“You were a farmer, you idiot”, Gwaine muttered. “There was no need for you to be so noble.”

When they reached the shore, Percival and Elyan went to look for a cart while Merlin sat next to Lancelot, hissing at everyone who tried to approach them. Arthur was kicking the grass and the trees to calm his frustration at the whole situation at hand. He wanted to scream, to shout at the unfairness of the world for taking away someone so kind and noble as Lancelot.

“He’s with his family now”, Leon whispered. “I suppose they’re happy to meet again after such a long time.”

“It’d be better if he was here with us”, Merlin mumbled. Leon sighed and placed a comforting hand on Merlin’s shoulder.

Elyan and Percival soon returned with a discarded cart they’d found and Percival lifted Lancelot’s body on it, covering the body with Lancelot’s own cape. It was remarkable, Merlin thought, how much Lancelot reminded him of a broken doll when being carried by Percival. It looked like Lancelot weighed nothing, like he was merely a stack of hay in human form. Percival then turned and helped Merlin on the cart so he could sit next to Lancelot while both Merlin and Lancelot’s horses were tied to pull the cart.

The company progressed slowly through the forests and roads and Merlin couldn’t help but wince thinking how much the jostling probably hurt Lancelot. Then he remembered Lancelot didn’t feel anything any longer and new tears sprung to his eyes.

As the night began falling, the company set up camp. With his mind set, Merlin snuck away and began running as he yelled the words of the ancient language that would call Kilgarrah to him. As soon as he reached a meadow far enough away, he stopped and waited.

Soon enough the wind howled and the flapping of dragon wings could be heard. The mighty beast glided down on the meadow and peered at Merlin suspiciously, almost as if it had guessed Merlin’s intentions.

“So, young warlock”, the dragon said, “the tear of the veil between two worlds has been undone and still you stand there. Who, I wonder, was the blood sacrifice?”

“It was Lancelot”, Merlin shouted. “I need you to bring him back!”

The silence following Merlin’s request would have been hilarious, had Merlin still not wanted to cry for Lancelot. He desperately needed to convince the dragon to bring Lancelot back.

“That is not a wish I can fulfil, young warlock”, the dragon said, “I do not have the power to bring souls back from the netherworld.”

“Then can you tell me how to do that?” Merlin said. “There technically was no blood and his body is still intact so I’m not sure if that can be called blood sacrifice.”

“Now that is troublesome indeed”, the great dragon laughed with mirth in its voice. “I suppose you will have to spill yours, then. Very well, I shall grant you the knowledge to bring back the soul of your friend. But, young warlock, you must remember to use the knowledge wisely, for death is a natural part of life.”

“Naturally”, Merlin said. “When have I ever not listened to your advice?”

“That is a matter we will not dwell on today”, the dragon chuckled and stretched its neck. It looked at Merlin and breathed at him, transferring ancient knowledge and magic to Merlin. When it was done, it said, “Remember, young warlock, that using this knowledge wrong will endanger the whole world. Use it wisely.”

“Sure”, Merlin said and ran off. He now knew what to do and he had a plan. All he needed to do was to make the others let him take the first watch.

Easy.

As Merlin slipped back into the camp, Arthur noticed him and was near Merlin in a matter of seconds, gripping his shoulders. Arthur looked worriedly at Merlin’s face before speaking.

“Where were you?”, Arthur asked, worry evident in his voice. “I almost sent Gwaine and Percival looking for you!”

“I… needed to take a walk”, Merlin said. “Sort out my head. Actually, I kind of still need to sort out my head a little.”

“You should have warned one of us”, Arthur mumbled. “You can’t just give us scares like that, not right after Lancelot…”

“Sorry”, Merlin whispered. “I can take the first watch, as an apology?”

“Fine”, Arthur said. “Eat some of Leon’s stew first. Percival will take the watch after you. Wake him up after four hours of your watch.”

“Sure”, Merlin muttered as he accepted one of the bowls full of Leon’s stew. He watched the others walking around the campfire, readying themselves for the night. He observed Arthur at the side of the little clearing, leaning on the cart and talking seemingly to himself.

(Except Merlin knows he’s talking to Lancelot, telling him how proud he is and how much it meant for him to have Lancelot on his side. Merlin knows Arthur is grieving, probably even more than Merlin himself is.)

When everyone was settled down for the night, Merlin quietly made his way to the cart that was carrying Lancelot. He lifted Lancelot’s cape away from his face that had taken an ashen colour during the journey. There was no sign of life on the face that had previously been so happy and so easy to light up with laughter which almost made Merlin cry again.

Merlin swallowed and got to work. He climbed on the cart and took out a small knife he had hidden under his shirt during the dinner. He cut his hand a little and poured some blood on Lancelot’s face while whispering the spell Kilgarrah had given Merlin.

The effect was immediate. There was a sound of thunder and a huge lightning bolt seemed to strike Lancelot. Merlin felt himself being thrown backwards as the lightning struck. He could hear the confused voices of Arthur and the knights as he struggled to get up – he’d hit his head – and get to Lancelot to see if the spell had really worked. However, Gwaine was the first to reach the cart as he’d been nearest to it. The little gasp and the following laughter that came out from his lips were the most relieving thing Merlin had ever heard.

“What’s going on?” Arthur’s voice demanded. “What was – Lancelot!”

Merlin could have cried of happiness, he really could. Lancelot was alive again and the group was whole, that was more than Merlin could ever have hoped for. Merlin scrambled to his feet and ran to the cart in time to see Lancelot sitting up and looking around confusedly.

“I walked into the veil”, Lancelot said dumbly. “How am I here?”

“We don’t know”, Elyan said, laughing, “but believe me, we are happy to have you back. Merlin wasn’t being himself at all after you…”

Elyan’s smile faltered as he’d almost said “ _died_ ”. The silence that followed was almost suffocating as Merlin reached for Lancelot’s hand and found it was ice-cold.

“You’re freezing!” Merlin exclaimed. “We need blankets! We have to warm you up. Come, Lancelot, get off that cart so we can warm you up.”

Lancelot slowly slid off the cart as Percival went to fetch a few blankets for him. As soon as his feet hit the ground, Lancelot’s knees buckled and had it not been for Arthur and Gwaine reacting as fast as they did, he’d have fallen face first onto the ground. Lancelot groaned as he realised his muscles had gotten cold and wouldn’t work well until he’d warmed up a little. Gwaine and Arthur led him near the fire where Percival wrapped some of the blankets around his shoulders.

“What happened?” Leon asked in amazement. “Merlin, did you see what happened?”

“I was thrown backwards”, Merlin said sheepishly from where he’d sat right next to Lancelot. “There was a huge lightning bolt that struck the cart… I think I saw an old man wearing red robes…”

“Dragoon”, Arthur hissed. “Why didn’t you stop him, Merlin?”

“I was thrown backwards with magic; how could I have stopped him?” Merlin argued as he rubbed Lancelot’s hands to bring more warmth into them.

“I think he’s right, sire”, Percival said. “You saw how far away from the cart Merlin was; I doubt he could have done anything.”

Arthur grumbled as he sat down near the fire, opposite of Lancelot and Merlin. Merlin was still trying to warm Lancelot’s hands with no success and he made a frustrated noise.

“You’re not warming up fast enough”, Merlin said. “Scoot over, I’m going to share body heat. You’ll never warm up otherwise.”

Lancelot chuckled and lifted the blanket around his shoulders enough for Merlin to sit pressed at his side as his arm was slung over Merlin’s shoulders. He raised his eyebrows as the other knights were smiling at the two.

“What?” he asked. “I need body heat.”

“You should have seen Merlin when we found you”, Percival said quietly. “He looked ready to bite my head off if I came too close. For a moment, I was actually frightened there.”

“Sorry”, Merlin mumbled. “I… I wasn’t in my right mind there…”

“None of us were”, Gwaine said. “In fact, I was out cold.”

Everyone laughed at Gwaine’s attempt at humour and Lancelot, ever the cuddler, squeezed Merlin’s hand with his free one and rested his head on Merlin’s. Merlin swallowed and wrapped the blanket a little tighter around them, just to make sure Lancelot wouldn’t lose any of the precious body heat.

“We should probably go back to sleep”, Percival suggested suddenly. “I can keep watch for the rest of the night as Merlin is needed.”

“Thank you”, Merlin whispered as Lancelot promptly leaned back, pulling Merlin down with him. Merlin pulled Lancelot’s cape to cover them and Lancelot chuckled. They kept quiet until they were sure that the others, save Percival, were asleep.

“So”, Lancelot whispered, “who is Dragoon?”

“A name I used when I used an aging spell to become an eighty-year-old”, Merlin whispered sheepishly.

Lancelot burst out laughing, the corners of his eyes crinkling like they did only when Lancelot smiled. He looked at Merlin, chuckling as Merlin smiled sheepishly.

“I’m gone for one day and everything goes to hell”, Lancelot mumbled. “Someone really needs to look after you, Merlin. Someone who knows your powers and how to console you.”

“And someone needs to keep you alive”, Merlin deadpanned, “and to stop you from being so goddamn noble and walking to your death.”

“Sorry”, Lancelot whispered, burying half of his face on Merlin’s hair. “You needed to keep Arthur alive and I needed to keep you alive. My death wouldn’t have been as bad as yours or Arthur’s…”

“And yet it still hurt”, Merlin whispered. “I don’t want to lose the only friend I have who knows everything about me…”

“And I’m here now”, Lancelot whispered, squeezing Merlin’s arm. “What hex did you use to bring me back?”

“I got it from the dragon”, Merlin whispered, smiling at Lancelot’s chest. “It wasn’t really happy about me asking but it couldn’t refuse me.”

“Little dragonlord”, Lancelot huffed and smiled again. He and Merlin slowly fell asleep, Merlin lying on Lancelot’s left arm, listening to his heartbeats while Lancelot’s right arm was protectively over Merlin.

A few feet away, Percival made a mental note to keep Merlin’s secret in his heart. Merlin was a far too good person to be executed for having something he couldn’t control.

There was a world where only Lancelot’s soul and not his body was swallowed by the veil. But in that world, Merlin managed to bring back his dearest friend and they lived to see many adventures.

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me what you think about this weird story!
> 
> Notes:  
> \- I know I ship Lance and Merlin as a non-sexual couple. As for how else, I have no idea  
> \- On a related note, I headcanon Merlin as asexual so there's that  
> \- Percival is a great friend and deserves more love  
> \- I doubt there actually is a spell to bring the dead back as themselves. I ignored the doubt  
> \- Writing Kilgarrah is super fun, I should do that more often  
> \- There was a lot more I wanted to address but had no energy to so... (maybe I'll address those things later, who knows)  
> \- idk man, I hope you liked this, I need to go do my Spanish homework now


End file.
